The Ice Man: kjører fra det onde
by BigMammaLlama5
Summary: The adventure of The Queen and The Gaul continues as an unknown evil threatens to steal away everything they have worked and fought for. *M just to be safe, strong language and violence and possibly freaky stuff.
1. Chapter 1

What it feels Like to Drown in Fear

Thick oily fog hung in the air, clogging her lungs and coating the back of her throat like sticky viscous jelly. It reeked of sulfur and rot, putrid fumes of rancid flesh and old coppery blood. Bile burned up her esophagus and she swallowed laboriously to try and force it back down. She tried to walk, to move her feet and escape the noxious atmosphere, but her limbs were lead. Her bare feet remained plastered to whatever solid surface she was standing on. She couldn't even move her toes. It was like her soles had sprouted roots and dug deep down into the earth.

Low gurgling sifted through the swirling brume, intermittently broken by weak rattling breaths that whistled through a small wet opening. Adrenaline roared viciously through her ears, muddling her own panicked breathing that rasped through her parted lips. She wanted to raise her arms and press her palms to her ears to block out the terrifying sound, but it felt as if an anvil weighed down each wrist. Her fingers trembled and a single bead of sweat tracked uncomfortably down her spine under the light shift that hung heavy on her slender body. Rocks sat in her belly and her lungs barely expanded, leaving her with just enough oxygen to stay awake but feel as if a sheet was being pulled over her consciousness. She wanted to escape- _needed_ to escape from the bone-chilling wheeze that passed by her ear. Fear soured her tongue and sent clammy chills the length of her stony body.

Oh _god_. Why couldn't she wake up? Why couldn't she _fucking move._ A hand pressed on the small of her back, fingers long and stiff. The corners of her eyes prickled with fear and her skin crawled as the offending appendage slid heavily off her hip. It made her feel dirty. It made her feel like sewage-filled mud was plastered on her pale skin, and a biting chill seeped into her body from where she had been touched. A strangled sob finally escaped her raw throat and the hissing, rattled breath picked up as if irritated by her outburst. She wanted to throw up. The same hand pressed indecently to her flat stomach and fell away the same way it had before, dragging heavily across her abdomen and hip. But she hadn't seen anything. Not an arm, a hand, a shoulder… a finger.

"_Stop… Please…"_

Finally she was able to speak through numb lips and unresponsive tongue, her plea no louder than a whisper. Her blood froze when the rasp passed by her ear again, and her heart seized in her chest.

"_**STOP. PLEASE.**__"_

Her words were spat back at her, mocking and hateful from her tormentor. Was it a man's voice? A woman's? Or… even a child's? She couldn't tell, not the way the different vocal pitches crashed together and combined into a horrifically abrasive utterance that made her hair stand on end. Like nails on a chalkboard, or a rusted hinge. The voice echoed inside her cranium, bouncing around in between her ears like a rubber ball. It wouldn't _stop._ It just kept repeating and repeating while the entity circled her without a moment of reprieve. Despair sank into her body and made her feel numb with cold for the first time she could ever remember. Being cold scared her more than the hostile disembodied voice. She was _never_ cold. She was the _fucking_ Ice Queen after all. Cold was _not_ supposed to bother her.

"_Please!_"

A hand wrapped around her throat, grayish and stiff with rigor mortis, long fingers with yellowed nails squeezing tightly the column of her neck. The fog pulled back as a corpse with dull red sideburns rushed at her face, skin pulled taught over crooked teeth and sharp cheekbones. The sockets were empty and it felt like they were sucking her in, dragging her down, drowning her in sorrow and despair and self-loathing. Rattling breath wheezed through the parted skin and muscle that hung open across the corpse's shriveled neck, old brown blood staining the dry skin and oozing thickly out of the fatal wound.

"_**PLEASE."**_

Elsa screamed.


	2. Chapter 2

**It's interesting how writing or starting an author's note before I even jump into the chapter helps me get into the proper mindset. I suppose it's just a silly habit, talking to you all before we launch into the next installment… but it helps.**

**Quick PSA, if Crixus seems rougher and more clipped in this story, that's because I screwed his character up some in the first story and made him too soft. The man in this story is how I originally envisioned him.**

**And here we go, I hope this journey is as enjoyable as the first. I look forward to hearing from you all! Look for art and updated and edited chapters from the first Ice Man on my tumblr since I won't be updating it on here. The first chapter has already been posted and you can find it on The Ice Man Hub link on my page. Don't expect any time line with those since I'll be focusing mainly on this. I've also posted playlists that I wrote the first story to and one I'm using currently. Just in case you're curious. And I promise not all my author's notes will be this obnoxiously extensive, just wanted to get it all out there for now. Thanks guys!**

A Different Kind of Hurt

Rain pelted down drearily on the stony Keep of Arendelle, the old and regal structure standing firm in the bay of the fjord. The steely waters roiled turbulently, pockmarked by sheets of chilly precipitation. It was unusually cool for the late summer, the solstice come and gone about a month ago. It had also been dreadfully soggy that season as well, but it was nothing to worry about. According to the farmer's predictions it was about time for it to be a rainy season anyways after a few drier years. But it had grown a bit cooler than it was supposed to, and that was because the Queen's mood had been gradually degrading over the past year. She and her fiercely loyal personal guard, Crixus, had been happily married a little over two years ago. Of course, there had been a political out cry that she had married _completely_ out of her caste, but the threats of disrupting treaties and peace so she would reconsider her choice in life partner had been vigilantly ignored and even met with snarky replies of _'get over yourself_'. Fortunately (or unfortunately) the degradation of her mood wasn't because of their relationship, but a much more personal problem. One heart-rending problem that they were desperately trying to work through to no avail, and it was one that was systematically tearing them down. It was one that they had kept hidden fairly well, but it was starting to cause questions to rise as the Queen aged.

Despite the looming feeling of doom, almost three long and prosperous years had flown by since the defeat and subsequent rise of the Kingdom of the Southern Isle. The shunned and ignored Frederick had grown into a responsible and fair ruler, though he did share the iron fist his despicable father had once ruled with. But he was wise beyond his years, swiftly erecting a new treaty of peace and commerce just months after the debacle in his home. In fact, Queen Elsa had grown rather fond of the man, and they had become fast friends. The Gaul had also taken a liking to the younger man, but more for the fact that he was a formidable master at swordplay. The Queen had teased the both of them; calling them '_Barbaric Gentlemen_' just to get a rise out of them for a laugh. They, of course, had played up dramatically to the gentle ribbing, picking up the Princess of Arendelle's '_Battle Queen_' and retaliating. It was a healthy and strong relationship that brought good fortune to both Kingdom's economies and markets.

But even though Arendelle was doing better than it had in years, even though the citizens were more than happy and loved their ruler, it was all declining behind closed doors.

Shrieking laughter echoed around the airy playroom, brightly lit by a warming fireplace and a generous amount of glass and iron wrought wall sconces. Tearing around the room was a short and stumpy snowman trailed by a nearly four year old boy, his round little cheeks rosy from laughter and his wavy strawberry blonde hair a disheveled mess from the trailing fluffy cloud that sprinkled snow everywhere. Thin arms and legs pumped furiously in his attempt to catch his playmate. His mossy green tunic and dark wool trousers were full of wrinkles, but his petite leather shoes were still laced firmly to his feet. From beside the fire on a blanket, the glowing Princess Anna of Arendelle leaned cozily into her enormous husband with their two year old daughter Laila playing with her brother's stuffed reindeer energetically at their knees.

"Slow down, Olaf. Rolf still needs to be able to stay awake for the evening meal tonight." Anna called lightly, mirth brightening her voice.

"Don't worry Anna! I won-_oof!"_

"_I GOTCHA! I GOTCHA!"_

Kristoff guffawed when his rambunctious son barreled head first into the distracted snowman, the result a loud _squish_ and an exasperated sigh from the young mother. She should have expected it, he was a _boy_ after all, and she had been told by friends and acquaintances that boys would always ruin their clothes by the end of the day… unfortunately this was the third outfit. Oh that rascal would think it was funny now, but he will be thinking otherwise once she dumped him in the bath a third time. _And_ send him to bed without desert. Anna knew she was getting the hang of being a sterner parent because she only felt a _little_ twinge of guilt when he gave her big brown eyes. Now the boy's _father_… he was a whole other case that spoilt both of their children rotten. Kristoff didn't mean to undermine the good behavior she was attempting to instill in Rolf and Laila, but they were _his babies_ as he would say. Anna had also learned that the phrase '_go ask your father_' was just a bad idea. She had learned _that_ particular lesson when Rolf and Kristoff came home covered in scratches and bruises from a romp through the Troll's territory.

"Rolf, it will be bath time again."

"Awww mama…" He whined, pushing to his feet and flapping his arms around comically, a pout pulling at his chubby cheeks.

"Don't _mama_ me, young man. You knew what you were getting into."

The lad pouted harder and trudged into his father's open arms with a scowl. The partially squished snowman took the opportunity to adjust his head back to a more accurate position. He wheezed his carefree laugh and sat at the edge of the blanket with a soft _thump_, his stumpy little legs wiggling in front of him.

Suddenly, the temperature dropped about twenty degrees. Their breath fogged in front of their faces, and the wind howled long and hard for a stressful moment. Laila whined and crawled clumsily into her mother's lap, wide blues eyes staring at the windows that had rattled violently just a moment prior. And then just as quickly as it had happened, the temperature rose again and the wind died away.

"_Oh no…_" Anna breathed, her brow furrowing in worry.

"_Elsa?"_ Kristoff asked in a hushed tone, his warm brown eyes sparkling anxiously from under bushy blonde brows.

The Princess nodded carefully and transferred her nervous daughter to the Mountain Man's lap as she rose to her knees.

"Kids, stay with your Father."

"Mama? What happened?" Rolf asked in a shaky voice, the smile long gone from his round face.

"It's okay, your Aunt Elsa is just upset. I'm going to go check on her. Just stay here next to the fire in case it gets cold again. Can you do that for me, Rolf?" Anna kissed him on the top of his head.

"Yes mama…"

Princess Anna hopped to her feet and swept out of the room, pulling the heavy door to the playroom closed. As she strode purposefully down the hall, Gerda easily tracked her down. The tall spindly woman in maid greys was obviously shaken-if her drawn features were anything to go by.

"Gerda, please tell everyone to stay away from the royal chambers."

"Oh child, something has happened, hasn't it?" The aging woman whispered.

"I... Yes, I'm afraid that something might have happened. But don't worry! I'll go see what's going on and hopefully it isn't… anything… too terrible." Anna trailed off and tried to force a smile but failed miserably.

The elderly maid saw right through her false bravado, but kept silent like she was so well trained to do. The Princess strode on at a clipped pace, her leather-heeled boots thumping urgently on the thick carpet. Her nervousness grew as she approached the turn to the last corridor where her sister and her husband stayed. She could feel the chill seeping through her clothes with every step she took, and Anna just knew it had happened again. Her fears were beginning to be confirmed when all sorts of castle employees passed her in the opposite direction with pale faces. The Princess swallowed the lump in her throat and blinked the burning in her eyes away, her pace kept on with a rapidly dimming mood.

The Queen paced the chilly bedchamber dismally, her feet dragging and her shoulders and head just as low as her downturned eyes. Deep stabbing frustration and sadness ate away at the hole in her chest and lodged thickly in the base of her throat. Again she had failed Crixus. Again she had failed to find happiness for the both of them, and she was dangling precariously over the precipice of completely giving up on the matter. Seeing her sister to the happy extent she was in only fueled the self-loathing that had dug its claws deep into her belly. Heavy reverberating foot steps echoed outside of the door to their hall, and she could practically feel the hopefully nervousness that was exuded with each thump.

She hated that sound.

The hope.

Bitter tears stung at the corners of her already reddened eyes and she sucked in a strangled breath as her husband quickly entered the room and searched her out with tentative optimism. Elsa could see the very second the desperate expectance drained out of him, the way his brows furrowed and the corners of his mouth turned down in tandem with his broad shoulders.

"The gods have cursed me with a womb just as cold and barren as my powers." She rasped out, grief strangling her and choking her of air.

"Elsa-"

He stepped forward quickly, his hands reaching out to catch her in case she fell. But she stepped back, prying her trembling hands away from where they were wrapped around her abdomen and grasped painfully at her platinum hair just behind her temples.

_"I can't even give you a child..."_

He tried to reach for her again but all she could do was shake her head weakly, too guilty and ashamed that her body couldn't accept to bear another life.

"We talk to Claudius-" He began softly, his voice nearly flat with the effort to stay calm and reasonable… something he had been working hard on.

"We've already tried so many of his remedies I've lost count. What more could there be?"

"I... there must be some path to get past this void? Herb? Drink?"

"No... no more herbs. No more solutions or elixirs... just. There's something wrong with me, and I-"

"_NO_! No, Elsa, there is nothing wrong. Y-"

"_Nothing wrong_? Can you not _see_? Can you _not_ understand? This is tearing my heart apart. Bit by bit. I can run a country. I can create so many fantastical things from snow and ice that should not be humanly possible. _Yet I can't do one of the most basic human things_." She cried, her voice cracking and the temperature blasting to such a low degree that Crixus was certain that the entire Keep had felt it.

The Gaul rushed forward and gathered his distraught wife in his arms and cradled her protectively into his chest even though she struggled and yelled at him to release her. He refused and sunk to his knees, bringing her with him. The temperature returned to the chill it had been and tears leaked from his dark eyes as slender arms crawled weakly around his middle, bunching the soft tunic of green. The knowledge that Elsa had once again been unable to become pregnant with his child hit hard and soon he was sobbing into her hair, just as hard as she was into his shoulder. He wasn't crying because it had been another negative, he was crying because he felt so completely and utterly helpless that he couldn't do anything for her. He couldn't take the pain and loss away. He couldn't take away the jealously or the envy. He couldn't lessen the load of despair or excruciating longing. He could only give her love and support, and even though he had those in abundance, he could see how tired they were both becoming from the consistent letdowns. He was able to quickly reign in his grief, knowing that it wasn't what his Queen-his wife-needed at the moment. Her violent sobs had petered out to silent tears and trembling shoulders. It hurt him to see her so small, and he sat back clumsily on his rear to hold her in his lap. He swallowed thickly and rubbed a warm hand on her shoulder.

"What... what if it is me? I was a gladiator once... What if..." His voice cracked. "What if it _is_ me? My body was abused and punished and broken… ways that would leave a man without… without…"

A muffled response of refusal had a smile pull weakly at the corner of his mouth. That was just like his wife, the ruler. The woman who tried to shoulder all of the guilt even if it didn't belong to her. They sat there in silence for a moment longer and the Queen fell back into her grief and Crixus let her, for a little while at least. This time she had been so hopeful, it hurt so bad to see that fledgling anticipation crushed. His ears picked up the sound of the door to their chambers opening quietly and he carefully twisted his head to see whom it was-and it could only be a handful of people. Princess Anna hung back just outside of the door to their bedchamber, her expression strained with worry and fear that something horrible had happened-and in a sense it had. He could see that she knew even before asking. His watery eyes met the startled sapphire and his fallen face tried to smile. His gaze dropped to the hand that moved to her stomach in a silent question, and all he could do was barely shake his head before returning his forehead to the blonde's shoulder. Pain flashed across the red head's face and she nodded back to him carefully even though he couldn't see it, reluctantly backing out of the chambers to leave the atmosphere she was not privy to. Not just yet. Her sister would tell her eventually, but for now, she needed only Crixus.

A palpable strain hung on the Keep for the next week and a half. Nothing was said, and nothing needed to be said. Anna had eventually been able to talk to the Queen about what had happened, and continued to offer her love and support. The monarch had to reel in a sharp tongue several times that threatened to spit vile and bitter words of jealously and contempt at the red head, but was always able to stop herself in the nick of time. It was becoming harder and harder to do so though, and she was afraid that it would happen and she would go far beyond reason. More than anything, it scared her that she had become so emotionally unstable. It hurt, more than she was expecting, to continue to see her niece and nephew around the castle. But it wasn't their fault at all; a sickening thought that made her stomach turn that she had even begun to entertain the thought of directing her anger at the innocent children.

It wasn't anyone's fault but her own, and that mindset had forced her into her work in an attempt to distract herself from the gnawing ache in her chest. As soon as dawn would begin to break, she was up and dressed to take breakfast in her office. The morning would be full of meetings with advisors and visiting diplomats. Lunch would be taken in the office as well as she reviewed what had been presented to her that morning. The afternoon was hours of court, listening to any and every complaint that her people brought to her. After court, there was a short training session with Crixus to stay honed in her skill and physical health, and then it was a bath, supper, and then work in the office until the wick of the candle nearly drowned in the tallow.

Rinse and repeat.

The days were mindless, mechanical work that dulled the senses and numbed the pain. It was on one dreary late afternoon Crixus made a proposition to her, one that she thought didn't hurt to try and consult Claudius about. That evening, she joined her husband and the rest of her family for dinner, much to their delight and surprise. Anna's oldest, Rolf, was especially happy to see her again and spent most of the meal in her lap, much to her apparent discomfort. He would not be swayed, and ultimately found himself at the mercy of random soft kisses to the top of his head to the point that he began to squirm away from them. The boy was too young to understand what was truly going on. Thankfully it was Kristoff who broke the tense atmosphere at the end of the meal, asking if they would like to join him and Anna for a nightcap after putting the kids to bed.

"We just haven't had a chance to all sit down and just talk lately, I was hoping to do that tonight. I miss those conversations…" The mountain man admitted, rubbing at his elbow.

The Queen balked at the hurt in his voice and barely noticed her sister smacking the man on his shoulder. "I know, and I am sorry for it. I... _we_ were hoping to ask and discuss something with you tonight as well… and I have a feeling you might need more than one nightcap."

The Princess couldn't help the worried look that reminded Elsa so much of their mother and spun on her heel without another word, her black skirts billowing out around her slender legs as she strode brusquely from the dining room. She didn't want to see that mournfully wounded look, it only reminded her of the last time she had seen her mother alive. The Gaul sighed heavily and rubbed at his tired eyes, gesturing weakly for them to follow.

By the time they had reached the Queen's study the monarch was already close to the end of her first drink, her blue eyes flat and unseeing as they stared unblinkingly into the low fire in the grate. That alone was worrisome, and their rambling conversation on the happenings of the past few weeks only muffled the real reason why they were there. The blonde tried to stomach as much as she could, but by the end of the first half hour, she was pacing restlessly and working on her third tumbler of scotch. Finally, Anna lost her patience and stopped halfway through telling the Gaul a story about Rolf bringing a frog into his bed-_again_-and flopped back unceremoniously in her seat.

"For the love of the gods, please come and sit. You're going to wear a hole into the rug."

The Queen glared at her briefly but complied by perching herself daintily on the arm of her husband's chair, her left knee jogging up and down with nervous energy. She opened and closed her mouth a few times before finally looking up into her sister's expectant face.

"I need to leave." She rapidly shot to her feet again with a placating gesture as hurt when pain and betrayal flitted across the Princess's face. "Not for forever! I just... Crixus talked to some of the Keep's guards and their wives and found out that stress is not an uncommon factor to ... to keep women from having children." She finished weakly.

The Gaul leaned forward and rested one of his large hands on his sister in law's knee in what he thought and hoped was a comforting gesture.

"In my time, there were many times where women could not get with child because the stress of the social world was too great. I fear that the same is happening to Elsa. I ask that you give me permission to take her away from all of this for… maybe a month. So she can find comfort away from the work to clear her head."

Anna looked back and forth between the two royals and couldn't help but notice how tired and downtrodden they looked. She nodded slowly.

"You wanted to make sure it was okay with me first... because I'll be ruling in your stead."

Silence hung heavily on the room for a scant inhale before the Princess spoke again.

"Okay."

The Queen eyed her carefully, "Are you sure?"

The Princess smiled sadly and leaned into the Mountain Man's side. "I'm sure. Go and take care of yourself, Elsa. I want you to at the very least try and be healthy, if not happy. You know I can't help but worry about you... And I know I can't relate to your situation in any way, but _do_ know that I'll always be here in support of you."

"You're too good for me, Anna."

The Princess smiled. "That's what sisters do."

The following morning, Princess Anna went to go wake up Rolf and Laila for breakfast a little earlier than usual. She had kept herself up half the night thinking of what she and her sister had talked about the previous evening. Anna had cried into Kristoff's shoulder after they went to bed, thinking that she had done something wrong-even though she knew it wasn't her fault. She couldn't help it. After all she had gone through, most of her childhood was feeling that achiness in her chest. An old, dull pain that she had learned to live with and had finally been getting used to not feeling ever since her sister's coronation going on nearly eight years ago. It was an easy pit to slip and fall back into, and it took her distraught husband all of his love and patience to help her calm down.

Finally, she had been able to fall asleep into a dreamless void-_thankfully_-and collected a few hours of rest. She had risen early after an antsy restlessness stirred her limbs and made them eager to move. Her legs had taken her for a brisk walk that turned into a two-mile run before the sun had even risen, a habit she had gotten into from being around her extremely active husband and sister and brother-in-law. At first she had felt intimidated and pressured into exercising like they did, but after a few months of regular activity, she had realized how great a stress reliever just walking had become. And boy, did she have a _ton_ of that right now. After her run, she had hopped in the tub just as Kristoff was struggling to disentangle himself from the bed sheets, and was dressed and out the door within ten minutes. She had kissed the groggy man on her way out, telling him that she would see him at breakfast. Anna's clipped strides took her directly to her children's bedroom door just down the hall from her and the Mountain Man's.

The young mother impatiently pushed her damp bangs up off of her freckled forehead and slipped into the dim room. Her eyes landed first on Laila's crib and an easy smile tugged at her lips when she noticed her daughter was standing herself up at the railing waiting for her, her soft plushy dolly in the crook of her elbow. A quiet sigh in the corner of the room where a cushy loveseat occupied the small stretch of wall next to the fireplace caught her attention and made her nerves jitter. She spun, almost too strongly and stumbled, her slender hands balled into fists in a defensive position. Almost immediately she relaxed and had to stifle a nervous laugh.

Slouched in the middle of the couch was the mighty Queen of Arendelle, still dressed in her rumpled gown from the night before. Her head was lolled back onto the top of the loveseat and her expression that had been so troubled was smoothed over in a relaxed sleep. Her slim but powerful arms were supporting the weight of Rolf, who was simultaneously snuggled and sprawled across her chest in his flannel pajamas. Anna knew that her sister had not been sleeping well, and her appearance made her wonder how late she had stayed up the previous night. Deciding that the poor woman probably had a horrendous crick in her neck she hadn't felt yet, Anna gathered her daughter in her arms and tip toed over to the slumbering ruler and her son.

"Elsa?" She called quietly; brushing her sister's platinum bangs off of her forehead. The Queen muttered something unintelligible and cracked her eyes open. Blurry blue squinted in the low light before sliding over to the out-of-focus visage of her sister and curious niece.

"'nna?"

"Hey there, sleeping beauty. It's nearing on six-thirty. Would you like to go back to your bed and sleep for a little more?"

The Queen swallowed thickly and raised her head with a grimace, her arms sliding protectively around her nephew as she sat up at a most glacial pace. She took a moment to wake up and gather her bearings, gingerly rolling her head from side to side and wincing in a mixture of pain and relief as the joints in her neck audibly popped.

"Yes... I... yeah." She sighed, levering herself to her feet and trudging clumsily to the little twin-sized bed full of stuffed reindeer and teddies. Anna watched her sister carefully tuck her son back into his bed before rubbing sluggishly at her face.

"When's ... first appointment?" She asked, still half asleep.

"Not until ten-thirty. Go get some more sleep, okay?" Anna stood and gently guided her nearly catatonic sister out of the bedroom. The Queen just nodded and yawned largely, too tired to cover her mouth and wincing again when her jaw cracked from the stretch.

"Ow..."

"Here, let me walk you there, grandma."

"M'not a grandmother..." She retaliated with a glare that looked like a sleepy pout more than anything.

"Yeah yeah, what ever you want to think, you old biddy." The Princess teased again lightly, wrapping her free arm around her swaying sister's waist as they made their way down the hall.

The quiet tot rested her head in the crook of her mother's shoulder, bright eyes watching her mother and her aunt with rapt attention. It didn't take long for the three of them to reach the royal chambers and enter. Crixus was still in bed, hugging his wife's pillow to his broad chest in what looked to be an unpleasant dream. Anna sat her sister down and helped her remove her shoes and bodice and heavy skirts, leaving her in her undergarments and soft tunic. Before she left, Anna removed all of the pins from the moon tresses and tucked the older woman in. She watched as the Queen burrowed into her husband's embrace, booting the pillow from his tight grasp. Almost instantly his brow relaxed, and a happy hum and soft garble of Gaulish escaped his throat when he felt her press into his body and wrap her arms around his ribs. Anna decided that was her cue to leave, so she took Laila and quietly exited the royal chambers, closing the door behind her with a soft click.

"Alright now, beautiful girl. What do you say to some breakfast?"

"Brehfass!" Came the squeaky reply and off mother and daughter went in a silly babble only they could understand.


	3. Chapter 3

…**I wonder how many readers I lost last week. Haha Oh well.**

**I know last chapter was a bit dramatic, but it was needed. It may seem a bit slow this chapter and possibly the next, but don't worry. It'll pick up. Trust me.**

**AND WHEN I MEAN PICK UP I MEAN IT. *****ahem*******

Sabbatical

_"Am I even human?"_

A pregnant pause filled the dark bedchamber as the Gaul carefully thought his answer over. It was a question that the Queen of Arendelle had been hinting at for a long time, but had never outright spoken it. He want to easily say "no, never, not even the gods would make it so", but he knew it would only lead to another slew of questions he knew he wouldn't be able to answer easily. The clock in the corner of the room chimed half past six and the exhausted Queen sighed bodily into his bare shoulder.

_"I'm sorry, that wasn't fair of me..."_

_"Elsa..."_ He began, but bit his tongue when he felt her head shake on his shoulder.

His large hand was a comforting warmth on the back of her shoulder, long callused fingers drawing lazy circles on top of her cotton nightgown. She sunk deeper into his side and tucked her head under his chin, enjoying the way the soft cotton of his sleep pants felt against her legs. She didn't want to get up, but she had to no matter how deep the ache in her bones reached. She had too much to do today with their impending departure on the day after the next. There were twice as many meeting to get through, the winter crop harvest and documentation, all of the account ledgers needed to be reviewed and updated, their trading agreements with Corona and the Southern Isle were both due for reevaluation and renewal... so much to do.

Elsa really didn't want to get up.

The Princess of Arendelle was right and thoroughly pissed off, and for a good reason too. It was ten o'clock and the Queen had missed her first four appointments.

_FOUR_.

It wasn't like her at all to miss a single one, and when she did, she had a damn good reason and made sure to let her sister know as soon as possible. This was the fifth meeting Anna was surely about to conduct by herself, but the tell tale sounds of icy heels on stone finally reached her ears.

"Gentlemen and my Lady, if you would excuse me for just a moment..."

She smiled tightly, doing her best impersonation of her sister's effortless court smile while rising to her feet. She briefly paused for her political guests to acknowledge her departure and swept from the room, crumpled velvet and silks swishing ominously around her warm wool stockings with her brisk pace. As she exited the Queen's study Anna quietly closed the door behind her, her piercing blue eyes glaring down the hall at her slowly approaching sister. Her looming hissy fit died on her lips as she plowed down the corridor and she realized how worn the Queen looked. Dark circles bruised her eyes under furrowed brows and her face was drawn and sickly pale, not the healthy fair tone she usually sported. It made her faint freckles look like a pox.

"Elsa...?"

"Anna, I'm so sorry, I didn't get any sleep last night and Crixus made me stay in bed and rest for a few hours. I just now snuck away when he went to get breakfast." She rasped, the clear evidence of a restless night in her voice.

"Maybe you should go back to be-''

"NO. No, I... I need to stay busy. I can't just lie there and wallow in this. It hurts too much." Elsa snapped, her face stony and hard with determination to end that particular train of conversation she didn't even want to venture near that day.

"I... okay, I'll fill you in on the previous meetings over lunch, but the ambassadorial party from Seaward is here and we were just about to start." The Princess quickly switched to a much safer topic.

"Yes... the small kingdom to the South East. What is it they want again?" She muttered.

"They were hoping to strike a bargain with their mineral export and your ice export."

"Right... that's right. Well, lets go see what they want then..." The Queen trailed off, an audible grump in her voice made her sound like Gerda when she was annoyed.

The comparison made Anna stifle a snort behind her sister's back. Luckily the blonde hadn't heard and the Princess followed dutifully behind the ruler of Arendelle. The Queen wrenched the door open with a sharp twist of her wrist and swept into the study, her formal guise snapping into place as easily as slipping on a coat.

"My apologies, I have been feeling under the weather as of late, what can I do for you?"

Anna internally flinched when her sister roughly bypassed her usual welcoming demeanor and plunged straight into business. She could tell that the diplomats were thrown for a loop and scrambled to their feet and into a curtsey and three bows with haste as the icy monarch strode past them.

"Your majesty! That-we-thank you for seeing us on such short notice. I understand that you are very busy. I hope we won't take up much of your precious time."

"Yes, yes, you don't have to remind me." She offered a wry grin as a peace offering and sank into her seat with Anna at her right elbow, nonchalantly waving a hand at their chairs in a silent bid to retake them. "It seems that you are hoping to open a new path of trade with us?"

"Yes your Majesty, we uh-" the portly man carefully sat down on the edge of his seat, gray eyes sparkling with eagerness. "We were hoping to offer you a trade agreement where we donate fifteen percent of our iron ore to you in exchange for a shipment of ice every month. We are a much warmer climate and it is hard to come by water that doesn't taste like brine or iron... I can assure you that Seaward is a very profitable kingdom and our monopoly on the mines in the region mean that fifteen percent from us will mean thirty percent from say... Nehrean. Not once have we missed a shipment save for when a series of horrible storms sunk quiet a few of our fleets one summer. Dreadful. But that was years ago, close to ten I think-"

"Excuse me, are you referring to the year where a storm sank the former King and Queen of Arendelle's ship?" The chilly quip immediately had the diplomat backpedalling over his previous comment.

"I meant no disrespect to your parents nor to you and your family, you majesty! It was a trying year for all of us, and I remember how trying it was for Arendelle. We still grieve for their loss, but we are more than glad they had a daughter to pick up their mantel and continue this time of peace."

Elsa sighed and pinched at the bridge of her nose. Not even five minutes and she was already snapping at people over something they couldn't control.

"Forgive me, Mister…?"

"Olsen, your majesty." The rotund man supplied meekly.

"Mister Olsen. Forgive my sharp tongue, I had no right to direct it at you." The Queen met the man's eyes. "I would very much like to amend our trade agreements. However… I will be taking a short sabbatical and will be out of direct touch for possibly the next month. I would be happy to meet again with you upon my return. Is this an agreeable arrangement?"

"Yes! Yes, your Majesty. Very much so! Thank you, I know this will be a profitable alliance for both Seaward and Arendelle."

Elsa smiled her serene mask and rose smoothly to her feet. "I do so hope it will be. It is a long journey to and from your Kingdom. The castle is open to you if you wish to stay in my absence."

"You are most kind, your Majesty, we will gladly accept your offer." Olsen popped up and swept into a bow, his three companions following suit.

"A healthy body makes for a healthy mind. If you are ever in need of something, you only need to ask."

The diplomats recognized this as a gentle dismissal and graciously bowed themselves out of the study. An uncomfortable silence reigned between the sisters for a short moment, the Princess repeatedly opening and closing her mouth like a mountain bass. The Queen watched her with dry amusement out of the corner of her eye and flipped a balled-up piece of parchment at the red head.

"I'm alright, Anna. Just a bit tired."

"Are you sure you should be leaving? If you're so tired, wouldn't it be better for you to just rest here?"

Elsa frowned for the millionth time that morning and pressed her lips into a firm line. "It's not a physical tired, Anna. The exhaustion I'm suffering is not one that a few simple days of bed rest can fix."

"But…" The Princess trailed off when the older woman gently shook her head.

"I will return. I'll always come back to you, Anna. I just… I need to be away from everything. Just for a week or so… Maybe a little more."

"Gods don't talk like that. You sound like you're marching to your death." The Princess snapped half-heartedly.

"Well I'm sorry you've got some perversely bastardized _Skaði_ for a sister, it's a bit difficult for me to not think like that. NO! No, I didn't mean that-Anna please." Elsa called after her upset sister as she rose from her seat with a huff, immediately cursing the looseness of her sharp tongue a second time that day.

The Princess's shoulders drooped at the blonde's pleading tone and waves of helplessness saturated the room. "We're just trying to help. I'm trying to help." She sighed bodily. "I'm going to go call in the next appointment."

The Queen nodded weakly and response, not trusting her voice for the moment. The burning comfort of Methuselah on her sternum thrummed faintly and helped curb the icy threat that swirled under her skin. Had she not worn the stone, Elsa was certain her entire desk would have been an ice cube by now. She took a moment and made a few notes of the Seaward meeting on a scrap piece of parchment for Anna to file away with the original request for her audience, just finishing up as she heard her sister's bubbly presence lead the next group into the study. It was going to be a very long day.

Elsa rolled her head back in an attempt to ease the tight strain in her left shoulder. She was certain she had slept on it wrong the night before and it had bothered her and caused her stress headaches the entire day. To make matters worse, it was far too late, her feet hurt, the muscles in her back particularly under her right shoulder blade were screaming from hunching over all day, and she still have to finish packing. Not to mention the twitch the muscles around her left eye had developed after the rough morning going over last minute instructions with Anna…

"_Elsa, we've gone over this so many times I don't know how much more I can take!"_

"_Until you've proven that you can remember that the blue ink is never used for official documents, we. Are. Going. Over this."_

_The Princess of Arendelle huffed and rolled her eyes. "That was ONE time, Elsa."_

"_Yes. One time. And then I had to redraft that entire series documents because you knocked the damn inkwell over with your elbow."_

"_Gods, you're worse than Mother…" She grouched, snatching up her mile-high stack of notes and instructions she had been compiling over the past few weeks. "This is just a lot to remember…"_

_The Queen sighed and rested her elbows on the varnished edge of the desk, the sleeves of sheer ice scratching faintly. Exhaustion pulled at her brow and it was a huge effort to keep from slumping further down onto her forearms._

"_Anna… I know it is. I still have trouble remembering to do everything even after a handful of years. It's a lot. But that's why you have Kjell to help you. He was father's assistant before he was mine and his decades of experience are invaluable. If it becomes too much, he can always step in to your aide."_

_The younger woman frowned and placed her mountains of papers off to the side to mimic her sister's posture, sinking so low that her chin rested on her wrists. It was quite clear that the Princess wanted to rage and scream and beg her not to go because she was so afraid that something would happen again. Something like Rome._

"_But-"_

"_I have traveled so many times since then Anna, I know how to stay safe." Elsa cut across her._

_Anna glowered. "What are you, some kind of mind reader?"_

"_Only when you say the same thing over and over." The monarch smiled gently, reaching across the desk and tucking a loose lock behind her sister's ear._

"_I do tend to repeat myself sometimes… don't I?"_

"_It's part of your charm, I wouldn't have it any other way." The Queen sat back up. "Now just bear with me 'til the noon meal and then I'll return you to your munchkins."_

"Ugh..." She threw an extra pair of thick wool socks in with her other two back up pairs. Kristoff had always told her _"You can never have too many pairs of socks."_ She heard Crixus turn a page in their bedroom, and it made her wish she hadn't told him to go on to bed. Elsa knew he would come help just as he had offered earlier, but she didn't want to keep him up. A soft familiar knock echoed on the door to their chambers and the Queen called a quiet "come in" to her waiting sister. The princess slipped into the room, wrapped in a warm robe and wrangling her fiery mane into a low messy bun.

"You're still packing?" The Princess asked.

"You're still awake?" The blonde fired back easily, arching an eyebrow in challenge.

Anna rolled her eyes and started handing the Queen items to tuck away into her knapsack made of leather and canvas. The sisters worked in silence for a moment, but Elsa could tell why her sister had come to see her so late.

"Ann-"

"Please don't go."

"Anna, you-"

"Elsa _please_." The red head begged, her fists bunching in a heavy tunic.

Elsa 's jaw worked as her tried to form an answer to the watery blue eyes that made guilt fall into the pit of her stomach like a stone. A creak from the bed and padding footsteps broke the silence as Crixus appeared at the doorway to the bedroom, dressed in loose cotton pants and tunic. His dark eyes frowned from behind Elsa's pilfered reading glasses that were far too small for his face, yet he wore them carefully anyways. Elsa shook her head gently and waved him back to bed, trying to ignore the twang in her chest from the way his hair stuck up on the back of his head. He hadn't even gone to sleep and he already had bed head.

"Can't you just stay?" Anna wavering plea drew her back to the present.

"I _can't_, I already told you this..."

"I know but-but I don't know if I can do this! What if I mess up? What if I start a war by accident? What-"

Elsa hastily closed the gap between her and her quickly panicking little sister and grasped her by the shoulders.

"Anna? Anna, listen to me. Listen." She gave her sister the barest shake to halt her word vomit.

"Everything. Is going. to be okay. Trust me."

"But..." Elsa smiled and rubbed the Princess's arms gently.

"You did well when I was coming back from Italy. And you didn't have barely any experience until then either. Plus you've still got an entire team of advisors to help you. You've been sitting in with me and have been taking on more and more minor tasks and have been executing them flawlessly. Most of the time." She added with what she hoped was a teasing smile. It had either worked too well or not at all, because Anna's bottom lip was trembling and hot tears had welled in her eyes. The Queen grimaced and folded her sister into a hug, wrapping her arms tightly around shaking shoulders. The red head mumbled various excuses for keeping the Queen into the Kingdom, her voice muffled by her tears and where her face was pressed into her sister's shoulder. Elsa let her ramble on, knowing that her sister had been bottling up her dissent to her departure since she had first learned of it. It wasn't healthy, but at least it wasn't a screaming match. Tears she could handle. Screaming would probably set off another cold snap and Elsa didn't know if she had the mental fortitude to reel it back in.

The Queen kissed the top of her sister's head firmly and spoke softly into fiery hair, "Everything will be alright, don't you worry."

The rain had finally stopped, but a dense gray fog had settled across the land like a smothering wool blanket. The wildlife was out and about, fur and feather brushing against the dewy foliage and underbrush, but they were nervous, wary of every sound and every little movement. The weather had balanced back out again, but the tension had stayed, even the bones of the earth could feel it. Finches screeched in aggravation as a pair of boots roughly kicked over a spindly rotten tree they had been perched in. The tall and burly form of the Prince Consort pushed through the brambles with a grunt, thorns grabbing at his fur cloak and leather breeches. He used his large pack strapped to his back to keep the undergrowth from snapping back in his face and held a callused hand out behind him.

The Queen of Arendelle pulled herself over the stump with his help, a glower furrowing her brow as the birds continued to screech. She was tired, grumpy, and certainly a tad uncomfortable despite her excellent physical health. The blonde wasn't used to humping the weight of a small child on her back _up_ a mountainside before she usually pried herself from her nice warm bed… But there she was, sweat trickling down her spine, the remnants of a few spider's webs she had passed through clinging to her compact shoulders, and a healthy tiff with anything that made too much noise. She was honestly surprised she hadn't just let her powers leak out a bit more but the ever-comforting warmth of _Methuselah_ on her sternum kept her grounded and in control.

"Oh do shut up."

Elsa grumbled, aiming a short blast of chilly air at the little feathery annoyances. The birds finally flew away in a titter, and Crixus couldn't help the amused grin that tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"Íoganī, as impatient as ever." He teased. His grin grew further to flash his teeth as his wife fully and exuberantly rolled her eyes at him.

"Don't call me that."

"But you are my warrior and my queen. Why would I not?" He laughed and held up a low hanging branch for them to duck under, trying to prolong the sudden lighter mood she sported.

"Out here, please just call me Elsa. No one else knows who we are and I would like to keep it that way." She told him quietly, resting a hand on his chest as she walked past him.

"So... Elsa and Crixus. Is that what we will go by?"

"Those are our names, are they not?" She tossed over her shoulder with a smirk that peeked through the grumpy scowl.

Crixus grinned again and it made the blonde pause mid stride, one foot up on a tree root she was about to step over.

"What is it?"

"Not four miles out, and yet your smile shines of happiness again. It is a welcome sight that I cherish." He laced his callused fingers through hers. "And one that I have sorely missed."

Elsa butted her head into the center of his chest for a moment despite the gag-worthy cheesiness of his comment, her reply muffled by the layers of leather and fur and linen.

"It feels as if the weight is easing though we are only a few miles out... Perhaps you were right and this is all I needed. To get away... Not run, but leave for just a little while."

The Gaul rumbled lowly in agreement and dropped a kiss on the top of her head. "Come. We have miles to travel yet. And many prayers to give to the gods."

The Queen of Arendelle nodded resolutely and stepped on ahead over the root, her boots crunching through the leaves and twigs covering the forest floor.

"Well, we better get a move-on."


	4. Chapter 4

**Apologetic filler chapter, once more with feeling. This has turned into my NaNoWriMo for this November, so please expect some minor mistakes and rough patches.**

**A quick note. When I began reading through and editing the first Ice Man, I realized that the title **_**Domina**_** has many negative connotations for Crixus. In the edited version (which I haven't gotten to the part I'm thinking of quite yet), he gives Elsa a new title, **_**Íoganī.**_** This is a word I constructed from the two Gaulish words that roughly translate into Queen and Warrior. So basically, instead of Crixus calling her the head of the house, he is calling her a warrior Queen-a powerful leader. That's all I'll say about that for now, I don't want to give his reasons away just yet. Thanks guys! Chapter four will start the fun.**

The Wildes

Anna rubbed tiredly at her eye, setting aside yet another completed set of trade revisions with Corona. The clock chimed six and she sighed in relief, deciding she could stop and take a break until the children were put to bed in two hours. The princess stiffly rose to her feet and stretched her hands to the ceiling, wincing when her back popped back into alignment. She made a mental note to go see the Keep's Surgeon the next change she got. The man was a magical being with an amazing talent at relieving muscle tension, and she made yet another note in her head to try to convince her husband to go and learn from Claudius. Again. Gods, the man was stubborn. As she left the room, Anna paused and looked back at the full desk. It was forlornly empty of a certain woman, and it made a pang of sadness ache in her chest and make her long for her sister.

Three days they had been gone. Just _three_. But it already seemed like months.

That partially was because it made her remember back a few years to when Elsa was seemingly lost after the incident in Rome... but within a month, she was sure that her sister would return. Or at least she hoped. The red head's boots thumped dully on the plush carpet, blue eyes wandering around the dimly lit corridor with high arching ceilings. The air of old familiarity put her worried mind to ease just a bit, and soon she was in the small chamber they used for informal meals.

"Mama!" The happy squeal made her ears ring and the resulting force that barreled into her knees almost made her topple over.

"Rolf! Slow down, honey."

"I missed you. Papa said you were busy and I was sad cause we couldn't play. So I tried to find Uncle Crix but I couldn't find him. Then I looked for Aunt Elsa and I couldn't find her either." The lad babbled all the way to his boosted seat at the table. His little round face was turned down in an upset frown and Anna's heart went out to him.

"I'm sorry, sweetie. But remember that Aunt Elsa and Uncle Crixus are away on a short holiday right now. Right?"

"Oh yeah… but… Where... but where did they go? Did they not want us to come with them?" Anna hoisted her eldest son onto his chair with a grunt and attempted to smooth down his unruly hair.

"Well-sometimes a man and a woman need to be alone for a while to talk and try and have fun. Your Aunt Elsa gets very stressed and worried being the Queen, and sometimes she just needs a little bit of a break. Okay?"

"But they didn't want us to go with them?"

"No, they needed to be by themselves for a while. That's kinda why sometimes Mama doesn't want you to bother her when she's working." Anna smiled gently and took her own seat. Rolf frowned but nodded, displeased with the answer but understanding none the less.

The supper went on without any more questions about the missing royal couple, but Anna could tell that Rolf was itching to have so many more answered. She didn't think she had the mental strength to do that just yet.

Kristoff helped her heard their young children up and into the bath tub, where Laila made sure to splash the both of them so thoroughly that her husband abandoned his clothes completely and climbed into the tub with them. Anna shot him a smirk and unabashedly popped him on the rear when he stepped past her. He squawked and blushed, a funny sight for such a large burly man. His wife still caught him unawares sometimes with her carefree and sometimes raunchy behavior behind closed doors, but it made him love her all the more. Soon their daughter was clean and the Mountain Man toweled them both off before carrying her into the children's shared bedroom. Anna watched his broad back and towel-clad rear retreat before returning to coning Rolf's curly hair into soapy spikes on his head.

"Mama?"

"Yes?" She hummed, picking up the water pitcher and coaxing her son to tilt his head back.

"Why is she sad?"

Anna paused and watched the water pour off the little boys' head in soapy rivulets, dark lashes brushing his rosy cheeks as he squeezed his eyes shut. "Your Aunt?"

"Yeah. Why is she sad?"

"Well... do you remember how your papa and I were so happy when we found out we were going to have your sister? You actually might have been to young but..." Anna trailed off, not quite sure how to talk to him.

"Yeah?" He answered tentatively, unsure if he wanted to say he remembered or not, and unsure if he actually did. He was just a little too curious to hear what his mother had to tell him.

"She's sad because... your Aunt Elsa wants to be a mom too... but she's having a hard time. The uh-the stork doesn't want to visit her yet. And it's making her sad."

Rolf nodded solemnly in understanding. "But then why did she leave?" He looked up hurtfully, "Did I hurt her feelings? Because I'm a kid?"

"What? No! Oh _no_, sweetie, you didn't do anything wrong!"

"But she left! If she left that means she's sad. And she not want us to come with her which means she mad!"

Anna finished washing the soap off of the distraught boy and lifted him out of the tub. "Now Rolf, Your Aunt loves you very very much, and I know for a fact that you didn't hurt her feelings. Okay?" She rubbed him dry with a thick fluffy towel. "Please don't ever think like that, because it's not true."

She cradled his face in her hands. "Okay, reindeer boy?"

"Yes, mama."

"Good lad, now come on, I bet your papa has a really good bed time story picked out."

Anna kissed her daughter on the forehead and wished her goodnight before crossing the room to her son.

"Mama?"

"Yes, Rolf?" She murmured, tired from the day and silently willed her son to go to sleep.

"When will Aunt Elsa and Uncle Crix be back?"

"Well... hopefully soon, okay? Now it's time for sleepy sleep. No more questions tonight."

"M'kay." He yawned and burrowed into his blankets, His button nose wrinkled when her lips brushed his forehead.

"Goodnight, sweetheart."

Anna smoothed the comforter one more time and tip toed from the room, stealing one last glance behind her as she shut the door with a soft click. The corridor was even dimmer than before, a clock down the way chiming nine o'clock right on the dot. She grinned to herself and strode quickly to the adjacent door that led to her and Kristoff's chambers. It was the small victories like getting the children to bed on time cleaned with full bellies that made her feel like a good parent. In the small living area, Kristoff was perched on one of the velvet cushioned chairs, towel still wrapped snugly around his trim waist and his large hands thumbing through a catalogue from Oaken's Trading Post. Anna closed the heavy door and prowled over to him, climbing into the chair behind him and pressing her damp front into his broad back. She kissed the warm skin between his shoulder blades and wrapped her arms low around his hips and leaned bodily into him with a heavy sigh.

"Long day at work?" His voice rumbled lowly into her.

"Mmph. You could say that."

"Well, maybe there's something I could do to take your mind off things?"

Anna could hear his smirk and pressed her grin into his back, hands slipping underneath the towel.

"Perhaps…"

Muddy leather boots trudged out onto the rocky outcropping grinding to a halt about a meter away from the edge. Queen Elsa sighed heavily, icy blue eyes staring blankly out at the steely waters of the northern sea. The air smelled of salty brine and gulls cried far below. Pebbled gray beaches ran in a narrow strip up the jagged coastline, densely populated with evergreens. The Gaul came to a stop next to her and exhaled roughly, his dark eyes trained on his solemn wife.

_"This place is good, yes?"_ He asked, his voice rasping in the chilly air.

_"Yes, I believe this is the place."_ She replied, nodding minutely.

_"Good. Now we break bread. Hunger claws at me."_ He grumbled and shucked his pack with a grunt.

The enormous man sat down heavily and tugged the heavy pack into his lap, brushing dead leaves off of the leather and bearskin. Elsa joined him, leaning heavily into his side and accepting the portion of hard bread and cheese and dried venison, used to the bland tastes but missing the simplicity of chocolate and tea.

_Gods_, how she longed for a good, steaming cup of tea.

But soon she would turn back and return home and she could have all of the tea she wanted in the world. They ate in silence, enjoying each other's company with the dull distant roar of the cast iron sea far below.

_"This place. It is... peaceful."_ He whispered, turning his sun darkened face to the overcast sky.

_"What are you thinking?"_ Elsa slipped her slender hand into his callused fingers, warm butterflies still pirouetting in her belly even after a few years of being with him.

"_This sky. It… it reminds me of days long past, when I was but a slave. The sky looked so freeing. I longed to become a bird and throw myself from the cliff that the Ludus of Batiatus was upon... but my pride. It kept me from such a foolish decision."_ He turned and smiled gently, leaning down and softly kissing her on the mouth, his tone betraying his gruff countenance_. "I have been weak of will, but you have destroyed that part of me."_

_"Such a flatterer."_ She returned the smile and kissed him back.

_"I speak truths, my heart."_ He set the last of his meager meal aside and lifted her easily into his lap, muscular arms squeezing tightly around her waist and back.

_"Crix-"_ She was cut off by a hard kiss.

_"I wish to have you. If you will let me."_ He rasped into her mouth.

_"Crix-fine. But not so close to the edge."_ She grouched. _"And you stink."_

_"Your stink is worse."_ He mimicked and rolled them away from the edge.

Night was falling fast and Elsa was glad for it. She was exhausted and sore and all she wanted to do was curl back up next to Crixus. The slender woman was bundled in her fur cloak-even though she really didn't need it. It was more of a form of comfort, and when her husband was fussy-_which was extremely rare since he tended to act rather than talk-_he would make her wear a cloak. After a few winters of humoring him it had turned into habit.

So there she sat on a low broad branch about thirty feet in the air, staring out at the darkening horizon while the Gaul was out hunting for some fresh meat. Elsa had taken the time to think back on why she had gotten so frustrated and stressed and boiled it down to the anxiety that her powers had instilled in her at an early age. It was a conclusion that she had come to quite a while ago after many weeks of stewing in her office late at night-but she took the opportunity to revisit the epiphany. The realization made her wonder if she should be upset with her parents or herself. Either way, it had stemmed a new form of bitterness in her chest that had latched onto her childless struggle and multiplied into a sick and twisting vine that tangled itself into every aspect of her life. Once again, all of her plights led back to the ... _curse_ she was born with. If only she had been born like Anna... born _normal_… she could be at home. Maybe still married to Adam, but perhaps to Crixus-she didn't know... but without the poisonous grief and possibly a few little ones to occupy her free time when she wasn't occupying the throne.

The Queen sighed.

What if what if _what if_.

There was no use in lingering on _what ifs_ and _what could have beens_. Right now, what she had was her life, and that was that. There was no way to change what she had gone through and no way for her to get rid of her powers. She didn't think she would be able to part with them anyhow after living with them for going on thirty years. Elsa sighed again and decided that her strange and stressful and danger-filled life was one that she wouldn't trade in for the world. It brought her action and adventure, days were never boring, full of love and life and silly tricks that ended with slush ball fights.

No.

Even if she _were_ a monster, she would be the best monster that she could be. And maybe one day she could have her own little monster children. After all, she was married to a barbarian gladiator from ancient Rome. That particular thought made her bark a soft mirthful laugh into the quiet evening. Footsteps tromped below her and the blonde looked down at her curious husband, a pair of rabbits dangling from his fist.

_"Íoganī?"_

_"I'm a monster married to a barbarian."_ She grinned, quickly scaling down the trunk and jumping the last two meters to the forest floor.

_"And... This is a wise thing to be saying?" _the Gaul looked at her warily, wondering if she had gotten into some berries.

_"Yes. And one day, we'll have little monster barbarian children. But before we do that, I don't want to go home just yet... is that okay?"_

The man huffed a laugh at her brightening mood. _"As you wish. Where is it that you desire to go?"_

Elsa looked back out to the chilly twilight_. "I want to see where the waters meet and the world ends."_ She turned back to him. _"We go North."_

Crixus paused and studied her, a character trait she had had to get used to. It meant he was forcing himself to take the time and think before he spoke, a bettering habit that he had been working on since they had retuned home after the attack at the Southern Isle. Finally, he nodded.

_"We go north. But first, we eat and then rest. We took many forms of activity today and I wish to train you after supper."_ Elsa eyed him playfully.

_"Train? Or train?"_

_"To check your sword, insatiable wench."_

Elsa punched him lightly on the shoulder. _"I don't know what you're talking about."_ Crixus laughed and got to work.


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry for the slight delay. Thank you to the few of you who have followed so far, it really means a lot! More strongish language than usual, just fyi.**

**I've been waiting a long time to write this chapter, so I apologize for any mistakes I'm sure are in there.**

Where the World Ends

The days sped by and soon Elsa was staring down the barrel of the next leg of their journey. The past week had been a mentally relaxing break, using training exercises and meditation to learn how to address her stress and anxieties. It was exhausting, but it was helping. Elsa knew that she had a long road ahead of her, but the comforting presence of a quite Crixus by her side made it bearable.

The morning was cold and chilly, nothing in particularly special about the fall weather. Salty wind whistled softly through the boughs of the evergreens that creaked and groaned above their heads. Crixus had already kicked out their fire half an hour earlier, and Elsa longed for the warmth. The sun had yet to completely rise, but already she could see that it was going to be another overcast day. Now whether that was because of the natural order of the weather or her powers... who knew.

The Queen sighed and heaved her pack onto her shoulder, securing the light gladius hybrid on her back before adjusting the burden of her belongings. She rubbed at a callus on her thumb and watched the Gaul put around the remains of their camp. He was double checking for any of their things as well as listening as far into the woods as he could. It was something Elsa had noticed he would do when they were out and about in public. His eyes would become wide and unblinking, scanning meticulously with his head cocked to the left just barely. She thought it made him look like one of the Hound Master's dogs… or perhaps a wolf, his powerful frame prowling the perimeter of their campsite in long measured strides. Finally when he was satisfied, Crixus shouldered his own pack and scuffed back to the Queen.

"_Íoganī_. Time to go."

Elsa nodded and the corner of her mouth quirked into a small smile. "Okay then."

The Gaul grinned back and turned North. Just as his back was to her, Elsa felt pinpricks on the back of her neck. For one split second she actually felt _cold_, but the feeling had passed before she could even really realize it. The Queen glanced behind her and saw nothing but the steely waters of the ocean. She figured the breeze must have caught her just right and brusquely rubbed the back of her neck.

"Elsa?" Crixus called.

"Oh-sorry. I'm coming." The Queen took one last look around the clearing and plunged into the underbrush.

Elsa trudged in step with Crixus, the pair having gotten used to falling in sync with one another over the tens of miles. At one point they had even started making up humorous rhymes about the more idiotic residents of Arendelle-the head of the baker's guild one of their favorite topics. But for now they just walked in silence, dirty boots grinding on the cold dirt of the small road lined with low scrub and sparse short fir trees. An early meeting with some characters of rough morals earlier that day (thankfully with no real confrontation, just curious glances) had their swords loosened in this scabbards. Neither one of them wanted to be caught unawares. It was unusual though for the road to be so quiet or not up to date with the cobblestone norm, but the Queen reasoned it was because they were so far north into the Wildes-the more unpopulated lands. She guessed that they were maybe-_finally_-just a few hours away from the coast. She could smell the brine in the air and looked forward to resting after a few days of brisk travel. It was nearing two in the afternoon and Elsa hoped that they would be able to make it to the ocean before nightfall.

Her muscles were constantly sore now, unused to the grueling amount of time she had been spending on her feet. She had also started trying to ignore how unappealing she smelled, chewing on mint leaves she happened to find if she was lucky-and breathing trough her mouth. Granted, she wasn't a complete mess, but she hadn't had a decent bath since the night before they left the Keep. Elsa had forgotten how uncomfortable the grittiness of travel was.

The Queen and the Gaul rounded the bend in the road, stepping off to the right into the springy ground cover as a farmer's wagon trundled past. The grizzly man eyed them warily, the draft horse snorting noisily as it tromped past. Elsa kept her head down and the Gaul returned the glare, standing minutely in front of her as he ushered them on past the wagon. He knew they looked suspicious, but he found that if he were to ask as if the other person were the threat, most of the time they would be left alone. Crixus huffed in satisfaction as the farmer turned his face away and continued on.

"He may be old, but age deceives."

"Let's get back on the road, I'd like to get to a good place to stop tonight." She muttered, stepping clumsily over the end of a fallen log to avoid slipping on a patch of icy black mud.

Just as she had finished speaking, the brush to their right rustled, a sound that made Crixus grab the Queen and practically toss her into the street in an attempt to get in-between her and the whatever was in there. Luckily, Elsa had gotten used to the large man literally throwing her around like a sack of potatoes, and tucked into a roll. She twisted into a kneel and jerked her sword free from its sheath with a sharp hiss of steel. The Gaul tugged his own from his hip and carefully stepped back onto the road, hands up and at the ready.

"Come forth." He growled, long fingers rippling in a flex around the hilt of the gladius.

Adrenaline burned through Elsa's veins and her heart thundered in her throat, the burn of _Methuselah_ on her chest helping her to control her powers. She knew that the amber stone around Crixus's neck was keeping his rage reeled in, and was thankful for the millionth time to the Trolls. After they had married, it had been a gift from them for the Gaul to go back into the _Hellig Skog _and become a part of their family. He had used the gift wisely, and once again he was calling upon its clarity.

"Come forth so we may exchange words!" The volume in his voice rose and echoed into the surrounding forests.

When no other noises were heard, Crixus backpedaled swiftly and helped the queen to her feet. "I do not like this. Move."

Their boots churned into the black gravelly dirt as they sped away from where the noise had come from. Elsa didn't have to be told twice and they set a quick clip, keeping with it for at least two to three miles before the Gaul was satisfied that they had put enough distance in between them and what ever they had stumbled across back there in the bend in the road. Elsa slid her sword home, shaking out her arms and flicking to fingers to try and dispel the trembling anxiety weighting them down. She had known full and well that there would be troubles on the road, but it was still something she was trying to get used to after twenty-one solid years of no violent confrontation. Crixus wheeled around in front of her and stopped them, his large hand carefully brushing a lock of loose platinum blonde off of her sweaty forehead.

"Elsa, you are well?"

The Queen nodded, still sucking in nervous breathes. She had seen the look of consternation on his face when they had started to run, and it made her realize that this wasn't the first time that he head done something like this. Now was not the time to ask, but she would later once they had found a safe place to stay for the night. Elsa caught the Gaul's callused fingers and tugged his hand to her lips. She kissed his knuckles softly and gave the digits a squeeze.

"I'm fine. Let's just keep going."

Hours passed and the dun began to set behind gray clouds. The temperature dropped and the pair began looking for a place to stay. Their pace had been thrown off after their impromptu retreat-from what Elsa hoped was probably nothing that could threaten them. It was wishful thinking. The Queen had been studying the land around them when she plowed into the back of her husband with an _oof_. The huge man had stopped dead in his tracks, body tense and sword still in hand. Startled by his reaction, the Queen sidestepped him and looked up at his stony face, trying to figure out what was wrong.

"Crixus?"

He didn't answer, but pointed with his free hand, eyes wide and wary. Elsa followed his arm and easily found what he was looking at. Sitting by the side of the road on a small boulder was a young woman. Younger than Elsa and by far one of the most beautiful women she had ever seen. She was dressed simply in milkmaid's clothing, gold spun hair in a large plait resting on the back of her neck. She was frowning forlornly at her bare foot she kept rubbing with delicate hands. For a long moment, the woman reminded her of someone she had once been close to before she met her first husband Adam, but a low pulse from _Methuselah_ helped her focus back onto the present. She could tell that her husband had gotten the same reminder to _snap out of it and pay attention_ from his own stone, and alarms began to go off in her mind.

"Elsa, this woman... why is she out here?" He muttered, dark eyes worriedly glancing down at her pale face.

"I don't know. I don't like it."

"For a young maid to be out here. " He hummed gruffly under his breath, distrust seeping into his posture and his tone.

"Should we see what she wants? If she needs help?" Elsa whispered as they began to walk again in a deliberate path to pass right by her.

"I do not wish it." He growled, slipping back next to her side as they neared the out-of-place traveler.

As they approached she looked up with bright green eyes and relief washed through her frame.

"Oh thank the gods! Please, could you help me? I fear I'm not used to walking so far and I have injured my foot."

Her voice was sweet and melodious, and eerie calm brushing against the edges of their minds with every syllable. It only made them tenser and the Gaul spoke up tartly.

"Apologies. We will no words with you."

Elsa clenched her teeth when the woman pouted and leaned forward, her blouse open an indecent number of buttons. "Please won't you help? Is there something I can do for you in return...?"

"No, thank you. My husband and I will be on our way. " The Queen growled and shot the woman a withering glare she reserved for rare cases in court. The woman pulled back in shock, acting as if she had just noticed the older woman.

"Oh! My apologies, I didn't see you."

"Bullshit." The Queen muttered under her breath without moving her lips.

"But I really do need some help..." She tried again, turning her captivating gaze back to the Gaul. Elsa saw him physically shake himself as if he had seen something odd and a snarl tore out of his chest.

"Out of my head, wench. "

"But I didn't say anything!" She pleaded, holding onto her bare foot like a lifeline, her skirts showing an increasing amount of fair skin as she turned to face them as they passed.

"You will receive nothing from me." He spat and turned away from the milkmaid. Elsa could feel Methuselah burning against her skin in an effort to temper the icy powers swirling dangerously in her chest fueled by the woman's attitude and the current of uneasiness she carried. Who did that strumpet think she was? Before she could stop herself, the Queen allowed her self a short quiet rant in Latin while they strode away. A particularly colorful phrase she had learned from some of the soldiers had her husband gently resting his hand on her shoulder and attempt to keep from smiling.

"Sorry..." She muttered, casting a glance back over her shoulder at the woman still watching them.

"Elsa, you know I would never stray."

"I know, but ... and just so you know, I'm not mad at you. But I could turn right around and strangle that useless-" Crixus cut her off with a hard kiss.

"She is behind us." He mumbled into her mouth and pecked her corner of her lips one more time before drawing away. "If we hurry, there will still be time to vent such poisonous emotions in trained combat."

"Not everything can be fixed by training, Crixus."

"Perhaps not... but it is what seems to work best."

Back on the boulder, green eyes narrowed in curiosity. The tail of a cow flicked nonchalantly at her ankles.

"How curious..."

Elsa grumpily tossed her rabbit bone into the fire and wiped her greasy hands on her pants. She was still burning up about the milkmaid from the side of the road. The Queen wasn't normally one to hold grudges, but this one just continued to irk her. It was a petty schoolgirl grudge and she knew it, but she couldn't shake it. Crixus had watched her mood spiral and had wisely stayed out of her way and done everything she had asked. He didn't want his hair frozen like an unlucky Mountain Man had experienced. The Queen glanced at his hulking silent form next to her and slumped guiltily.

"I'm sorry. I don't know what's come over me."

The Gaul smiled reassuringly and shrugged his shoulders. "Had a man said the same to you, he would no longer have his head."

It was barbaric and ultimately romantic, and she expressed it quite gratuitously for a long moment.

"I will kill more men for you if it pleases you." He growled ferally, dark eyes trained on her face as she leaned back.

"Remain my protector, dear husband, and you will never want for that."

The Man huffed a gruff laugh and returned to his meal as the Queen began to layout their bedrolls on either side of the fire. It wasn't that she didn't _want_ to not sleep next to him, but he needed the warmth even if she didn't. And it made him feel better if she had the same position. It also gave them a better chance at being ready to help the other should they fall under attack while asleep. The pair went about their normal routine of cleaning up after their supper, deciding who was going to take first watch (always Crixus since Elsa was a better morning person than he was), and going through what the plans for the following day were. Or what they were hoping to be. If today was any indication, they could no longer rely on sparse human contact because of how far north they were.

"So tomorrow, we will make it to the sea. I feel we should rest a day or two and then head back after that, sound reasonable?"

The Gaul nodded and threw his own rabbit bones into the flames after sucking out the marrow. "A fast pace will get us there perhaps by midday."

"Alright."

She walked over and burrowed into his embrace for a long moment, reveling in the heat he produced. As she pulled back she kissed him softly and wished him goodnight, crawling into her bedroll and promptly falling asleep.

The ocean was just like any other ocean Elsa had seen. It was a huge flat expanse of water that opened up into endless sky with nary a cloud in sight. The sun was almost blinding after a few long weeks of grey, and she had rubbed some extra kohl under her eyes to reflect what she could. Even the Gaul had done so, darkening the tanned skin around his deep-set eyes that gave him a terrifying look. It didn't even look like he had any eyes in his skull if he looked at her just right. The pair sat on the pebbled beach, leaning against each other's shoulders and staring out into the ocean-or as the Queen had so dramatically and lovingly dubbed it, _the end of the world_. They were content with their tranquil silence, observing the lone gull or the pattern of the waves. At one point they had tossed pebbles into the surf and then made a mound in a poor attempt at a sand castle. It was all very domestic, and a welcome change from their normal lives and their travelling. The Gaul sighed and heaved himself to his feet after checking the sun and discovering that they had been idle for most of the day.

"Come. Let us break camp."

The Queen nodded reluctantly and accepted the help to climb to her feet. Crixus scooped up their packs with a grunt and trudge back up the beach boots first crunching and then squishing as he the terrain changed from beach to scrub. A short ten-minute walk brought them to an area that would suffice, and both took out their hatchets and set about clearing the brush where it wasn't wanted. The debris was stacked off to the seaside and puzzled together to act as a temporary windbreak. Elsa concentrated her powers to her hands and molded dulled blades of curved ice around her hands. When they realized her powers could ac tool, she had taken on the role of fire pit digger. The ground was hard and well on its way to being frozen, and Elsa struggled until Crixus stepped in and finished the digging. The Gaul brought a small fire roaring to life in a few short minutes. The Gaul remained kneeling and stared into the fire and after a long moment raised a troubled gaze to the blonde.

"When we met the wench... something was wrong."

"How so?"

"I felt like wh... she... was not who she said she was."

"Well that wasn't terribly hard to figure out." She griped, not knowing where he was going with this.

"No, Elsa… I mean... my vision... it wavered for a moment and illusion was cast. I felt drawn and not of my body. But horns. On her head." He paused and breathed a laugh in self-disbelief. "I have become soft in living so richly. My mind plays fucking trick."

Elsa fell silent for a long moment until he finally begged her to speak. "When you said you was something. Horns. Perhaps you didn't dream it." She told him carefully. When he was about to protest, she tugged off her heavy for and leather glove and snapped her fingers, a shower of snow bursting from her fingertips. "If I can do this, who's to say there aren't others out there?" The Gail grudgingly shut his mouth and nodded.

"I'm not dismissing what you saw as normal, Crixus. But I'm trying to reassure you that perhaps what you say was real and not a trick of your mind."

"I suppose it is possible." He muttered and began to unpack what they would bee needing for the evening.

Elsa frowned and realized with a sinking feeling that she probably could have handled that a bit better, but it was too late now. The awkwardness continued on into the evening and as night fell, Elsa finally asked him again what was wrong.

"My gut feels wrong." was his only response before he settled into the furs of his bedroll, back to the fire and naked sword lying flat across his knees.

The Queen sighed and accepted that he didn't want to talk about it so instead she crawled into the furs laid out by his side and pressed her back into the outside of his thigh in a gesture that firmly said that she was sorry and that she understood. Elsa fell asleep to a heavy hand resting comfortably on her hip.

Elsa woke with a strangled cry from a dream swirling with black fog and skeletal ghouls with red hair. Sweat gleamed in a sheen on her forehead in the low light form the fire, and she jumped again when her wild eyes fell upon the Gaul, leaning over her with kohl darkened eyes.

"Elsa! It is a dream!" he called desperately, and hearing that tone in his voice clued her in that she must have had a bad one.

The Queen couldn't remember much other than the paralyzing terror the nightmare had inflicted. The nightmare that continued to reoccur and plague her ever since her return from the Southern Isle, changing and morphing over time. This was the first time she had dreamt it since they last left Arendelle, and the familiar weight of helplessness had tears burning at the back of her throat. Elsa freed her hands from the tangle of her bedroll and reached for the Gaul. Crixus bent lower and wrapped his arms about her trembling frame, holding her to his chest and gently rocking her.

"Do you wish to speak of it?" He asked quietly.

Elsa was in the middle of shaking her head no when she stopped and realized that the dream had been different. There had been someone else there. Someone looking through her mind and trying to warn her of something, but of what…?

"I... there was a woman? I don't know. I can't remember anything..."

Crixus frowned and cocked his head to try and look at her. "The milkmaid?"

"NO. Gods forbid... no she... she wasn't human. I think that's why I was so frightened." She swallowed thickly. "All I remember is that she was asking about you, and telling me to run."

The Gaul was about to open his mouth with a husky alto full of amusement broke through the crackling of the fire.

"Oh _dear_, that just will not do… You're going to have to do _better_ than that…"

Both Crixus and Elsa yelled in surprise when their seemingly private conversation was interrupted. The Gaul whirled to his feet with a snarl, sword in fist, and then froze, the blood draining from his face as his jaw fell slack.

"Elsa." He croaked. "Run. Fucking run now."

The Queen scrambled to her feet and flinched back, hands coming up in an icy defense. Her heart thundered painfully in her throat and this time she thought she really _would_ cry. _Why_ couldn't she have a normal life?

"_Ohhh_..." The woman moaned piteously. "I'm sorry to have frightened you." When neither royal was forthcoming with a response, the woman sighed bodily and shifted her weight on the hefty piece of driftwood they had used as a bench earlier, long, shiny dark horns that curved out of her forehead and over the top of her skull protectively glinted sinisterly in the low light.

"_Fear not, puny mortals_," She adopted a playfully snarky tone, "I'm not here to eat your hearts or steal your souls." Her bright green eyes narrowed at the Gaul. "At least not anymore. Do _tell_, my fine specimen of a man, how is it that you were able to shake my call?"

The man only looked at her, eyes and mouth wide in confusion. Only then when they grasped at the ends of their panic were they able to see the being clearly. Her skin was pale, almost translucent, but not sickly. Heavy lidded eyes with long lashes reminded Crixus of a sleeping bovine, and it clashed horribly with the angular naked body clothed only by long sweeping locks of ebony hair that pooled on the ground. A cow tail flicked impatiently around her ankles as she propped her sharp chin up on a loose fist, resting her other forearm across her bare thigh.

"I decide to show myself to you and all you can do is stare? How completely and utterly _rude_. You should be asking me of my desires and what you can do for me." She simpered, the amusement falling from her expression and leaving her looking bored.

The Queen swallowed nervously and minutely lowered her hands; her thoughts racing through her mind a mile a minute. This... woman, was obviously not human.

_Obviously_.

And it wasn't until she realized that she had seen the bright green eyes before did it click.

_"Huldra_." She whispered in horror while slinking back away from the fire, an expression of mock pain and rejection twisting the unearthly sharp face.

Crixus was torn between facing the new threat and following his wife, but ultimately his decision was made for him when the creature disappeared and popped back into existence a hairs breadth away from the Queen's back.

"_Really_, Queen Elsa, you should be thinking of kneeling in supplication for the gift I have given you. But…" She breathed heavily in disappointment, relishing how the _much_ small woman had frozen in fear, shoulders tense and fists tight.

"I suppose that I'm just going to have to tell you, won't I?" The scent of earth and rot clung to the Huldra, wafting into the blonde's nostrils and threatening to make her throw up her meager supper. Next the creature circled the Gaul, and she was taller than him yet, his eyes in direct line with her chin. When Elsa looked at her back, her fears were confirmed. The creature's back was hollowed out.

"And you, _Gladiator_. I have learned much about you." She purred. "But I believe I know what could have contributed to your refusal earlier yesterday. She crossed her thin arms provocatively under her breasts, the locks of ebony falling _just so_ to draw his eyes. But the Gaul was valiant in his gaze, never letting it stray below the Huldra's nose.

"What is it you fucking desire, demon?" He snarled, his teeth bared menacingly.

"Huldra, not demon, my fine man of muscle."

"A mere word, but no difference." He spat, deliberately stepping in between her and the Queen.

The Huldra did a magnificent job rolling her eyes in annoyance and strolled back to the driftwood, settling on it with just a whisper of movement. She eyed them disdainfully and sighed again when she realized they weren't going to sit.

"_Yes_," She looked at the Gaul. "I am the milkmaid." She turned to the Queen. "And _yes_, I was the creature woman in your dream. Now both of you sit down before I remove your knee caps."

Not wanting to exact the wrath of a Huldra, the Queen immediately sank into a kneel that was passable as sitting. The Gaul gawped at her and was about to protest when the blonde gave him a look that clearly stated to _sit or loose your ability to walk_.

"_Ah_. Much better." A smile twisted the Huldra's full lips. "Before I begin, I feel I should introduce myself. Unfortunately, human tongues are too unsophisticated to correctly pronounce my name, so I permit you to call me Ylva."

A pregnant pause fell between the three and the Huldra shrugged nonchalantly. "Well I suppose telling me your names would be pointless since I already know them. Let's cut to the chase, shall we?"

Ylva turned her glowing green eyes back to the terrified Queen. "Oh for heaven's sakes, blondie. I'm not going to eat you. I came here to warn you of all things. Which I'll have you know goes _completely_ against me nature and I have no idea why I'm doing it in the first place. Maybe my nature is getting to me."

"W-warn me?" Elsa rasped, her heart still racing in her chest.

"_Yes_ warn you! Gods, are you really so dense? Did you not remember what I told you in your dream?" The Huldra asked in snotty displeasure.

"I… No, I'm sorry." The Queen choked out.

The soul-stealing creature sighed heavily _again_ and cleared her throat.

"_Beware, Queen of the Winter. The Mud of Despair will consume."_

When blue eyes didn't show any sign of remembrance, Ylva couldn't help but roll her eyes _again_.

"Oh for the love of- Woman, you can't go home yet."

"_What?! WHY!_" The Queen leapt to her feet. "I don't-I-"

"_Silence_." It was barely a yell, but the low alto tolled through their heads as sonorously as a tower bell.

Ylva carefully chose her words in an attempt to make the most sense. "Queen Elsa. If you go home now, it would be a really bad move."

"Then what do you suggest I do? Stay up here? Live as a Wildes Woman?"

"You could do that, I wouldn't really care. In fact, you can go jump in the ocean and that would be that." The Huldra cut across a flabbergast Elsa. "_Or_, you could _listen_ to me and go see someone I know in the South."

"South. You _want_ me to go south."

"I do." Ylva confirmed smugly. "Now. I believe my job is done for the night." A blink and she was gone.

The Queen and the Gaul knelt in silence for a long while yet, until finally he spoke up.

"_Fucking wench_."

Neither Crixus nor Elsa got anymore sleep that night, too on edge to close their eyes. They had broken camp as soon as dawn began to glow on the horizon, and an hour after the sun began it's climb into the sky, the pair had set off back home, too spooked to stay any longer. While they had walked, Elsa had explained the lore of the Huldra, typically a creature of the forest-which confused the Queen to no end because there was no forest this far North. Normally Hulder held a symbiotic relationship with charcoal burners, but they would often lure men (Elsa didn't know if they sometimes preferred women) into the woods to be pleased in a more carnal nature. If the man-or woman- did well, they left unharmed. But if not… Some logging injuries and deaths were suspicious. It was also said they stole souls, switched out babies, and did all manners of things… but Elsa had just thought that they were myths.

"_Wench…"_ Crixus muttered for a millionth time under his breath.

The pair nearly jumped out of their skins when the same Huldra-Ylva-appeared in their peripheral vision with a sad countenance.

"Leaving so soon? Oh… and I was _so_ looking forward to having some friends… But I suppose we can't all get what we want. I'll just wander back home, alone, in the woods… While you two idiots condemn everything you know and love." She sighed.

Elsa ground to a halt and attempted to reel in the anger. "_Stop talking like some horrendously written horror novel!_"

Ylva blinked owlishly. "Dear child, I speak only the truth."

The Queen growled lowly and stomped on ahead. By this point Elsa guessed that if the creature was so intent on warning them of their _impending doom_, she could afford to turn her back on it. Crixus followed her brusquely, loosening his sword in his scabbard and glancing in between the two women nervously. The Huldra shook her head in disbelief and easily caught up with them in loping strides. The odd group trudged on in silence, broken only by Ylva's disappointed sighs. Finally, Elsa had had enough and screamed in frustration, grabbing at her temples.

"_WHAT."_

Ylva looked at the infuriated woman like she would a misbehaving child. "You're going the wrong way."

"_FINE! Fine._" The Queen threw up her hands in surrender and kept walking.

Crixus glanced back at the smug being and then back to his wife.

"Elsa?"

"We're going South. I need to get to a town and send word to Anna." She grouched, ice cracking across her sleeves.

The Gaul nodded and trudged on, loosening his gladius just a bit more. He would be crazy to argue and had no intentions of receiving bodily harm over his opinion today. Not with the mental state his wife was in and the Huldra following him at his shoulder. He glanced back nervously for the thousandth time and carefully spoke up.

"You follow?"

Ylva smiled condescendingly. "I'm _bored_. That's what happens when you're over a thousand years old."

Crixus nodded silently and swallowed thickly. He loosened his sword _just_ a bit more.


	6. Chapter 6

**Probably something worth noting, chapters may have a tendency to be shorter this time around but hopefully not lacking any of the details and intrigue. We shall see. Thank you for following along!**

Agreements

Elsa missed the quiet. She missed just being with Crixus. She missed being able to pee in peace. She missed it when the incredibly annoying Huldra wasn't tagging along and filling the once comfortable silence with snarky commentary and bullying. She had tried asking nicely, begging, shouting, even lashing out with her powers to make the creature _leave her alone_, but every attempt was fruitless. Even when she tried to discretely (or not so discretely) turn back toward Arendelle, she would find herself suddenly facing the opposite way as if she had stepped through a mirror. When Elsa had first realized what was happening, Crixus had to back off a ways to keep from getting hit by an errant icicle. But the newest thing, was she would find a pair of her socks missing in the morning, and then returned later that evening. At first she didn't say anything, but when the Gaul had mentioned it was happening to him too, the Queen had confronted the Huldra.

"Trust me, child. You don't want to know why I'm taking your smelly socks. If I could, I'd burn them _but_ I know how fragile your poor bodies are in the winter so I won't do that. You need to stay warm."

It also didn't help that the added presence of the creature was becoming the very definition of a romance block. Elsa could barely even hold the Gaul's hand without the Huldra making some sort of lewd or suggestive comment. Ylva was quickly becoming a thorn in her side just as bad as the old family from the Southern Isle had been. What _did_ make her feel better though, was that even though winter was coming, they were back down further south again and it was slightly warmer. Of course, it didn't bother Elsa, but she could tell that Crixus was much more comfortable when he was able to feel his toes.

"Such boring company. Had I known how sullen you were going to be, I wouldn't have left my forest." Ylva moaned pitifully, slouching along next to the irate Queen.

"No ones binding you to me. Leave, if you wish it." Elsa grumped, knowing exactly what the creature was going to say and mouthed along.

"How rude, you know I can't do that."

"And you won't tell me why." The Queen sighed tiredly.

"Where's the fun in that?" Ylva replied airily, her tail switching low by her ankles.

Elsa sighed tiredly again and trudged on down the muddy road, shooting Crixus a look that plainly said "_kill me now_". He smiled ruefully and shrugged, knowing he couldn't do anything to help her. For now, they just had to humor the Huldra and hope that she would soon grow tired of them. It was true it had only been a few days, but it felt like a lifetime had already passed since they had left the end of the world, and even longer since they had gone home to Arendelle. Elsa vowed to write Anna as soon as she was able, knowing her sister was probably worried sick when she and Crixus didn't return within the time frame they had told her.

"Anna's going to kill me."

A chilly wind whipped the Princess of Arendelle's skirts as she waited with her husband and children on the royal docks. The atmosphere was a hustle and bustle of shouting and rushed movement, Arendelle sailors carefully helping the men from the Southern Isle to tie their ship to the dock pilings. The gangplank was lowered and a tall red headed man loped down the ramp with rolling strides. His black traveling clothes were crusted in salt spray and stiff from the ocean water, a peppered gray against his fair skin and fiery hair and beard. King Frederick of the Southern Isle was a jovial yet imposing man.

"Your Royal Highness!" He called, dipping into a low and perfect formal bow with a grin. "I thank you again for you invitation."

"Your Majesty, is it so wonderful to see you well after your journey." Anna curtsied, watching Kristoff with Laila in his arms bow out of the corner of her eye, pleased when Rolf mimicked his father. "I pray the weather was not harsh?"

"Not at all, it was quite pleasant to be honest. Though now I know why your sister was so adamant on bathing right away whenever she arrives. I feel like a strip of dried jerky."

Anna laughed politely, aware of the citizens curiously watching from a respectable distance. Once they were safe inside the keep, their informal banter that bordered sibling rivalry would begin with gusto between the three of them.

"Please, we've actually brought you a carriage to ride in this time. The wind is a bit cutting today." Anna gestured politely to the wharf where the royal carriage sat ready to go.

"I was hoping for some protection of the elements. As thoughtful as ever, Your Royal Highness."

Their polite chit chat continued until they were all safely sequestered away into the cozy transportation and then immediately dissolved into enthusiastic hugs and handshakes and cheek kisses. Rolf immediately crawled into Frederick's lap and asked him where his daughter Milla was.

"She's staying at home with her mother and new baby brother. Hopefully you'll get to meet him soon, Rolf. I have a feeling you two will cause more mischief than your parents and I can handle."

"So Katherine is doing alright? No problems giving birth?" Anna inquired, slipping into mother-mode as Elsa called it.

"She's doing great. Tired, but we all are. I am sorry for that change of plans, I know we had planned on Gabriel being born here but he just couldn't wait." He smiled in contentment as he and Rolf sank back into the cushions. "Completely worth it. Right Rolf?"

The lad nodded enthusiastically even though he had no idea what was being discussed.

"And there you have it. I think we're going to have a grand time, don't you think?"

An hour and a half later, King Frederick was clean and fed and meeting with Princess Anna and her council in the Queen's study.

"Again, thank you for coming, King Frederick." Anna spoke lowly before rapping her knuckles on the desktop. "Order, please."

The chatter in the office sputtered out quickly and the gentlemen took their seats around the room, the King on Anna's right and Kristoff on her left. The Kind had brought along three of his advisors and they were seated quietly to his right, ready to interject and take notes. The Princess set her stack of notes down on the desk and pulled a fresh sheet of parchment towards her, inked quill pen in hand.

"Alright, lets begin, shall we? I'd like to thank King Frederick again for making the journey to discuss the matters of economy and alliance. I pray that this will be a productive start to our planned series of meetings. Now. Your Majesty?"

"Thank you Princess Anna, it is always a pleasure to visit Arendelle. And hopefully, that will become much easier for our citizens, both her in Arendelle and in the Southern Isle. I have come today to form a series of agreements to coexist with our already outstanding peace and trade treaties. I am hoping that this council, with the approval of Queen Elsa once she returns and Princess Anna, that we form an alliance to rival any other county's. One that perhaps one day will be linked by marriage."

Approving and neutral murmurs rose up from around the room. Mr. Rotte, the Kingdom's trusted Spymaster rose smoothly to his feet, his undistinguishable face smooth and graced with his classic serene smile.

"Your Royal Highness, Your Majesty, if I may?" He lilted in his willowy tenor.

Once he received to nods from each ruler, he bowed slightly and clasped his hands easily in front of his stomach.

"After much digging and observing, as well as some… interactions, I can conclude until further notice that there are no ill-intents for this union. However, I must impose a warning of caution. We must not forget the poison that once kept our two kingdoms at each other's throats, and we must not forget that there are those out there who would use this against us. It will be a very long road should this course of action be approved. King Frederick, I am happily at your disposal."

"Your cooperation is appreciated, Mr. Rotte. You have mine as well, please do not hesitate to ask anything of me. I am not my father, nor my brother, and I have nothing to hide from you. Except perhaps some questionable reading material I hide from my wife." Polite chuckles fluttered around the room.

The Spymaster bowed in compliance and retook his seat, already fading into the back ground as he was so apt to do. The rest of the council took turns standing and addressing their congratulations, offers of support, and concerns for what this new group of decisions might bring. By the time they had gotten through everyone, Anna's sheaf of parchment had turned into four and her hand was already cramping. She took a five minute reconvene to gather her thoughts, pushing the low-lying anxiety that she hadn't heard a word from Elsa yet and her late return. She would talk to Mr. Rotte again to see if any of his men had spotted them since the other day. The Princess shook herself from her spiraling thoughts of worry and cleared her throat.

"It seems we have some valid points to discuss. Let's see how much we can accomplish by the evening meal. Now-Kjell if you would take notes for me please?" Anna addressed the Royal Secretary off to her left.

"Let's begin."

Elsa had a new game. Walk ahead of Ylva, and then try to snap the branches back to try and smack the taller creature in the chest. It was childish and risky and a _really_ good way to get herself in a pile of horseshit (literally, she still stunk of it), but it was worth it. But she didn't limit it to just Ylva, she started doing in to Crixus too, which of course meant he had to retaliate.

"Seriously, aren't you supposed to be the ruler of a prosperous Kingdom?" The Huldra grumped, screeching to a halt and leaning back dramatically as a branch whipped by her.

"I never had my rebellious teenage years so forgive me if I seem childish." The Queen snarked with a smirk.

The arrogant expression slid from her face when a branch smacked her in the back, courtesy of her husband.

"All this fighting. It is tiresome." He grouched.

Elsa sighed heavily and threw her hands up in defeat, calling a temporary truce. It was no use, fighting like a temperamental child against a being that could easily squash her like a bug, but apparently over the years her tact had started to slip. The Queen brooded in her thoughts for a good hour into the middle of the afternoon before she had to stop for a moment. Elsa scanned the trees and turned to the curious Gaul.

"Do you feel like someone's watching us?"

"I feel nothing, Íoganī. An animal, perhaps?"

Elsa frowned and blew air out through her nose, flexing her hands in agitation. "I don't know…"

"And that is why we need to keep moving." Ylva rasped quietly in the Queen's ear, startling her out of her thoughts.

"Come. Quickly now, we must find some place safe for the night."

The Huldra strode on ahead easily stepping over the muddy ground, her lengthy locks of hair trailing behind her in the mud like bristles from a soft brush. Elsa watched her hollow back and twitching cow tail, still wary of the unnatural being but listening to her nonetheless. She didn't like the creature, but she would trust her. For now.


	7. Chapter 7

**I'm so sorry for the delay. I had a terrible time writing this part and ended up scrapping the first draft of it earlier this evening. It's better than it was, but still not quite where I want it to be. I hope everyone (specifically my fellow 'muricans) had a safe and happy holiday!**

Chapter Six

Thunder rumbled and the heavens poured out their sorrows on the soggy trio as they slogged through the mud of an offbeat trail. It had been raining for four days straight now, and Elsa had to restrain herself from turning it into snow. Gods know it would be more comfortable but it would also give away who she could possibly be. The rain was cutting and chilled them to the bone, leaving them soaked through and unable to get completely dry. Crixus didn't seem to be bothered by the wetness, but she did often catch him cursing at the cold. The situation made her laugh because it was entirely too ironic that he was wed to a Queen of ice and snow... only to hate the cold. Of course Ylva hadn't been much help either because her snarky comments had increased two fold. Not because of the weather, no that didn't bother her, but because Elsa kept pausing every half hour to look behind them. Ever since she had felt that distant gaze on her back, she had continued to feel it, the consistency flickering more and more to the forefront of her mind as they kept on trekking south.

More often than not, the Huldra would spit a quip about sluggish humans and their bipedal hindrances. Though sometimes when Elsa would pause longer than necessary the creature would intentionally block her line of sight, making the Queen divert her eyes from the bare skin of Ylva's chest. It was a successful tactic, but one that had been used more than either one of them would like to admit.

It had been a few good hours since Elsa had glanced behind her, but it was nagging at every corner of her mind. She couldn't shake it. The Queen had been extra diligent in ignoring the feeling because Ylva had informed them that there was a small trading town not far away-one with the prospect of warm food and a dry bed. The Queen and the Gaul practically watered at the mouth for a chance to strip out of their wet furs and dry off.

"Quickly now. Why are you so slow, I would be there by now if I were just on my lonesome." Ylva bemoaned their pace.

Elsa rolled her eyes for the umpteenth time, too tired to even snap back and settled on a tired sigh instead. She barely heard Crixus smother a laugh beside her and the sound eased her heart just a bit. They were only about a mile out from the trading town, and Elsa picked up the pace just a bit more, excited to have seen the faint lights as they had crested a ridge about two miles back. The steely grey of the evening was quickly giving way to inky black, not conditions they wanted to be caught out in.

By the time they reached the town, the streets were empty but the lights were lit in every home. On the end of the main drag, a tavern stood alight, warm and welcoming with a promising sign that called out rooms for rent. The heavy wooden sign hanging above the broad double doors displayed the head of a snarling bear, painted in white on a sea of blue. Elsa and Crixus broke into a sluggish trot, their boots splashing heavily with every step and soaking their pants further up to their knees. Ylva whispered a warning of discretion and peeled off into the dim sheets of icy rain, presumably to go find a nice tree stump to hole up in. The wooden steps creaked under their combined weight and they paused to catch their breath under the rough-hewn awning. The Gaul pulled his drenched cowl from his head and shoulders, futilely trying to wring out at least some of the water while the Queen attempted to squeeze some out of her pants. The wind blew a sharp gust and the trees of the forest creaked sinisterly under the elements, persuading the pair to wrench the door open and slip inside.

Elsa sighed heavily as a blast of warm air washed over her face, prompting her to wipe the water from her brow. She must look like a drowned raccoon with the kohl running from around her eyes. Crixus gently squeezed her shoulder and led them over to the bar, ignoring the stares form the other tenants and occupants sharing a pint of meade. Elsa ignored their stares, a few good many of them roving over their matted fur cloaks and muddy boots. One younger man gave her a leering smirk as they squeezed up to the bar, but she shut him down quickly with a glare that told him to _back off or lose something of value_.

"Can I help yeh?" A willowy man asked, wiping his hands on a stained rag.

"You have rooms?" The Gaul asked in his gravely voice.

"Aye... " He answered warily, beady eyes lingering on the hilts of their swords.

"One room." Crixus spoke, sliding two gold pieces across the polished wood to the man.

The bartender squinted suspiciously, his gaze darting to and from between their glassy expressions and the burnished gold on the counter top. He quickly scooped up the coins and tested them with his teeth, grunting in satisfaction when their authenticity was determined.

"First or Second floor?" He asked as he threw his rag down and pulled out a ring of iron keys from his pocket.

"First." The Gaul spoke, still wary of being trapped with no escape.

"Aye, first floor. Follow me." The beady-eyed man slid from behind the counter and yelled at one of the serving maids to cover for him while shouldering his way through a group of rowdy farmers. The noise died down considerably as he led them back into a hallway, narrow and cramped with beat up furniture. Elsa had many questions to ask, but decided to keep her identity as best concealed as she could.

_"Crixus, ask the name of this establishment, please."_ She murmured lowly in latin, matching the bartender's questioning gaze when he heard the foreign language.

"This place, what is it called?" He rumbled quietly, his boots thumping heavily on the creaky worn floorboards.

"Not from around here, are yeh? This is The Bear. Been in meh family for four generations. I'll thank yeh not to ruin anything during your stay." He answered tartly, stopping at a door halfway down the claustrophobic hallway and jamming a key into the door.

The lock ground and clunked under the force, and the door swung open on noisy hinges. "It ain't much to look at, but the bedding's clean and the pots have been washed. Firewood and tinder are by the grate, try not to burn this place down."

With that last quip and wary glare, the bartender passed the key off to the Gaul and strode from the room with a nervous gait. The man apparently wasn't used to having travelers that looked as mean and grungy as they did, but they were both happy it kept away unnecessary questions. They deposited their packs and within a few minutes, Crixus had a hearty fire roaring in the grate. Elsa hung up their fur and cloaks as close to the flames as she dared while the Gaul went to find them some supper. He returned with two steaming bowls of stew, thick slabs of grainy bread, and two mugs of meade in his enormous hands.

They wolfed down their meal in silence, the quiet broken only by the crackling of the logs and the scrape of their wooden spoons. The hearty warm food lulled them into comfort and led them to sprawl on the floor in from of the fire, occasionally shifting to help their clothing dry. It seemed a bath would be out of the question that evening, since there wasn't even a tub in the corner, but it was far more important that they get dry than clean. An hour later, feeling far more relaxed than they had in a while, Elsa sat up and realized how quiet it really was.

"Ylva isn't here." She muttered to herself and then flopped unceremoniously onto the Gaul's broad back, giggling under her breath as a groan reverberated through is ribcage.

"You jump on me like Rolf on his bed." He grumbled, burrowing his tanned face further into his forearms.

Elsa combed her fingers through his greasy hair and scratched lightly at his scalp. "Sorry. " She whispered, letting her heavy eyes slip closed.

At some point, Crixus carried her to bed and cradled her to his chest, resting his chin on top of her head. Just as Elsa was falling asleep, the window was wrenched open and a drippy Ylva spilled into the room with a torrent of rain.

"Hey!" Elsa cried and scrambled to her feet groggily, rushing to close the window as Crixus found his sword and tugged it from its sheath.

The Huldra stumbled to her feet and Elsa paused when she saw how twisted with fear the sharp features were. "Darling, I suggest you write to sister dear and tell her you'll be a while yet. We haven't much time here." She rasped, eyes black and gaunt.

"I'm sorry, what?" The Queen stammered, wiping her wet hands on her trousers. The Huldra flared larger than Elsa had ever seen with a snarl and advanced menacingly on the small woman.

"_Do as I say whelp, or we'll all perish. And do so quickly_."

Something poisonous in the Huldra's tone made the Queen scramble away from the window and pull a spare sheaf of parchment and a quill pen towards her that had been left out, courtesy of the inn. She flinched away from the dripping stringy hair of the creature that draped onto her shoulder and listened intently to her instructions.

"Write to her what you must, but mention no names. Only yours. It does not matter for you any more, but if you want to keep them safe, you will _NOT_ use their names. Understood?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Elsa asked lowly, but did as she was told.

"The eyes you feel on your back? It knows your name. Do not let it know the name of your loved ones." The Huldra glanced at the window. "_Quickly_ now."

Elsa scribbled out a message and securely folded it up, addressing it to the Spy Master, Mr. Rotte back in Arendelle. She didn't use his name though, but the Rat Master, a lewd nickname he had acquired over his many years of service. She loathed the name, but the man had insisted if she ever fall into trouble, to address it to him this way. A call for help, if you will.

The Queen accepted her heavy layers of leather and fur from Crixus and pulled them back on, pleased that at least her clothes would be dry for just a few minutes longer. The Huldra was energetically ushering them to the door even as they were shouldering their packs, her face drawn and her eyes flinty. In a blink, she was the pretty maid from the side of the road again, all golden locks and soft features. In a final thought, Crixus dumped the water basin on the fire and left another coin on the tabletop before exiting the room with heavy footsteps.

The inn was quiet now, the hour approaching the witching and most of the tenants asleep in their beds. The bartender was chatting up some of the late night drinkers, but straitened in alarm when he was them enter the tavern in a rush.

"Aye now, what's all this?" He squawked. Crixus held up a placating hand and spoke gently for such a rough man.

"No problem. We must go, and gratitude for the shelter. Do you have post?"

The bartender could only nod in bewilderment, his beady eyes darting between the two rough characters and the pretty new milk maid.

"My wife. She has a letter to Arendelle. " Crixus took the folded parchment from the Queen and pressed it to the counter top with a few more gold coins. "See that it gets there."

The bartender blinked once and then nodded. "Aye, I'll get it there. Just get out, you're the kind of lot that brings trouble."

At that, Elsa had to stifle a nervous laugh and quickly strode from the warmth of the tavern, Crixus and a disguised Ylva on her heels. They slogged through the rain and south through the darkened town, blindly trusting that the muddy road wouldn't betray their feet.

Elsa already missed the warmth of The Bear and wished that she could turn back. But Ylva had resumed her true form and was nervously herding them deeper into the dark murky night. It was a mindless pace, one that made her bones ache and her muscles scream. She would have collapsed by now had adrenaline not been pumping through her like a live wire. Something was wrong, and Elsa could feel the eyes boring into her back. She had never felt them so strongly before and the frightened keening that was starting to emanate from the centuries old Huldra was setting her teeth on edge.

_Cold_.

Lancing cold started as a tiny pinprick in the very center of her chest and made her gasp from the sharp stabbing pain. She stumbled and kept going, her legs mindlessly churning through the mire. But then she paused in horror.

_Cold_.

She could feel the cold.

The same cold that haunted her in her nightmares and robbed her of sleep.

_Cold_.

Elsa wasn't supposed to feel cold.

_"It is here, we have to run_." Ylva cried, her sharp talons digging into their shoulders.

They ran.

Blindly.

Crixus was by her side and Ylva behind them both, frantically pushing them as fast as their legs could go. In the darkness, the Huldra spotted a barn and began to steer them towards the structure. They wouldn't be fast enough on foot, so they would have to acquire faster legs. In that split second that the Huldra made her decision, Elsa chanced a glance behind her. Cold blossomed painfully in her chest and crawled sluggishly into her veins, the tips of her fingers and toes tingly and numb. Her mouth gaped in a horrified scream that was stuck in her throat and Crixus began to drag her by the scruff of her neck when her legs floundered.

In the mire, was a body. Of bone and muck and sludge, inky black mandibles wide in a screeching cry that betrayed no sound. The empty sockets were blacker than anything she had ever seen, and sucked all the light out of the air around them. Stained metacarpals clawed at the muck as it followed them, the dome of the skull jerking to and fro like a seizing beast. Finally, Elsa screamed, blood curdling and raw in her throat. Ylva bellowed for them to move, and the Queen regained her feet, pained gasps rattling in her chest as a vice tightened on her lungs. Fear blindly pushed her, and Crixus looked back in confusion.

"No! No don't look at it!" Elsa breathed unevenly in a strangled yell, fighting against the seeping chill in her chest and the sinking of her consciousness.

"I see nothing!" He yelled, but kept running.

Elsa didn't have the wits to answer him and instead dug her fingers into his forearm and pulled him along. Ylva swooped on ahead up the path to the barn and flung the doors wide with a _crash_. The Queen could feel the sludge in her veins solidifying, chilling her, pulling her under until every deep and raw emotion ached and clawed at the inside of her chest to escape. She could feel her legs failing, the weight of all the hurt she had endured dragging her down. Blackness crept in on the edged of her vision and it felt like her lungs were filling up with ice water.

Elsa couldn't move.

She couldn't feel her limbs.

She could barely breath.

Rough hands hoisted her onto something warm and breathing before another body pressed in behind her. Something wrapped around her middle and kept her secured and upright, muffled shouts in her ears sounded like she was underwater.

Was she drowning?

The last thing she felt was a mouth on her ear, telling her to hold on.

And then it all went black.

A soft knock echoed into the quiet study, rousing the Princess of Arendelle from her thoughts. The red head called for the visitor to enter, glancing at the grandfather clock across the room. The post must have arrived finally, and she set her quill pen aside when the Spy Master slipped silently into the room.

"Mr. Rotte! How may I help you?" She asked, a little bit nervous.

The normally serene man was grim and a little rigid, a folded letter held gingerly in his long fingers. His loping stride carried him quickly to the grand desk and around it, his arm extending to the Princess.

"A letter from your sister." Was all he said, and Anna carefully took the parchment from him.

It had not been opened, but it was addressed to "_The Rat Master in Arendelle"_, a name Anna had not heard before.

"Are you sure it is from her and to me?" She hesitated, but her fingers already picked at the seal.

"I am quite positive, your Royal Highness." He murmured softly.

Anna frowned and tore into the letter, her face paling slightly as she read it through.

"Something's not right, is it?" She asked dully, anxiety a dark undercurrent and held out the letter for the Spy Master to read.

He sighed tiredly.

"Your sister does have a knack for making enemies."

_Dearest Sister,_

_I can't speak long, but know that we are well. Something has come up that needs our attention, and I fear that I do not yet know when we shall return. Please don't worry, everything is fine._

_All my love,_

_Elsa_


End file.
